Rookie Rewards / East freshman is The Republic Girls Basketball Player of the Year

Koryn Greiwe’s love of basketball did not begin with her initial exposure to the sport.

The Columbus East freshman did not take an immediate liking to basketball, but warmed up to it quickly.

“I remember thinking, ‘I want to do a sport,’ but I didn’t know what it was,” Greiwe said. “When basketball came, I was like, ‘I don’t want to do that.’ But I’m glad I did it.”

This winter, Greiwe took Indiana high school basketball by storm. She led the Olympians with 19.0 points a game and is this year’s The Republic Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

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Greiwe remembers trying out for Dick Macy’s Columbus Boomers team when she was in second grade.

“I was in second grade, and he told me to come try out basketball,” Greiwe said. “After the first day I went, I was like, ‘I’m never doing basketball again.’ He was like, ‘You’ll get really good at it,’ and he made me love the game, and all the coaches that I’ve had have really made me improve. Every day I touch a basketball, whether it’s shooting or dribbling or getting a feel for it, I really love playing basketball, and it’s something that I want to continue.”

Greiwe’s impact was immediate for East. After scoring nine points in a season-opening win against Batesville, the 5-foot-9 point guard poured in 31 in a 66-61 loss at a Bloomington South team which would go on to win the sectional title.

“I wouldn’t say I was shocked because I had been working hard, and I wanted something like that,” Greiwe said. “But I was shocked on how fast other teams picked up on me and how they double- and triple-teamed me. That was probably the shocking part. The next game, it was, ‘Let’s stop her,’ and that’s something I need to improve on — getting space from people.”

In her third game, Greiwe scored 21 in a win at Floyd Central. Her season- and career-high came in the fourth game, a 32-point effort in a win against Franklin Central.

Soon after, opposing teams began face-guarding her and denying her the ball.

“Probably the best and worst thing to happen to her was going over to Bloomington South the second game of her career and scoring 31 points,” East coach Danny Brown said. “She established herself early as one of the best guards in the state, let alone her class. I definitely think she was one of the best freshmen in the state.”

Greiwe admitted feeling a little frustrated at the extra defensive attention teams gave her, but she tried not to show it.

“I tried not to let it get to me because once you let them see that, they’ll take advantage,” Greiwe said. “So I didn’t show a lot of emotion. It was frustrating, but at the same time, it just makes me a better player because I need to improve on getting away from people and using my teammates and getting them open shots so we can have better scoring as a whole.”

This season, Greiwe was the only Olympian to average more than nine points a game. As a result, they went 10-13 with several close losses.

Greiwe’s goals for the offseason are to keep getting a basketball in her hands every day, improve on how to get space from defenders and work on shooting, ballhandling and getting her teammates involved. She hopes that leads to more wins next season.

“I like to win, and I’m a competitor,” Greiwe said. “I always have room for improvement, and I can’t wait for more seasons and getting wins.”

Koryn is the fifth Greiwe sibling to play sports at East, but the first to play varsity basketball. Brother Brock played football, while brother Quade played football and wrestled and sister Seena was a three-sport athlete with volleyball, gymnastics and track and field. Brother Lance currently is a junior competing in football and track for the Olympians.

But basketball has been the lone sport for Koryn. In the offseason, plays travel team basketball for Lee Larkins with Midwest Finest.

“Over the summer, I was ready, because my AAU ball is at a fast pace,” Greiwe said. “I’ve been competing with older kids my whole life, and I compete with my brothers. “Coach Brown has a lot of confidence in me to be in the game and take it over. Going into this year, I had confidence that I could make a big difference in the East program.”

Besides scoring, Greiwe led the Olympians with 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals a game, as well as her 35.4 percent 3-point shooting. She also averaged 3.3 rebounds and shot 36.4 percent from the field and 84.0 percent from the free-throw line.

“She’s also one of our top defensive players,” Brown said. “We kind of knew coming in that she had to be on the floor for us. She makes people around us better, but she would have to take on more of a scoring load for us. I can’t imagine someone handling all of the pressure that was coming her way, let alone a freshman.”

Greiwe’s 19.0 points a game and her 40 3-pointers are the highest for a freshman in East history. Brown said she ranks up there with Shelby Ross, Alicia Hopkins, Allyson Bunch and Audrey Wetzel as the top freshmen he has coached with the Olympians.

“She works tremendously hard in practice,” Brown said. “She never takes a drill off, never takes a play off. To get all these accolades as a freshman, she’s deserving of it. She’ll get better because she wants to get better. She’s very coachable. The sky is the limit.”

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The Republic All-Area Girls Basketball Team:

Koryn Greiwe, Columbus East: The freshman led the Olympians with 19.0 points, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals and added 3.3 rebounds a game.

Claire Cunningham, Columbus East: The senior averaged 8.9 points, 1.0 assists and 1.2 steals and led the Olympians with 7.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks a game.

Alexa McKinley, Columbus North: The sophomore led the Bull Dogs with 10.9 points, 3.6 assists and 2.0 steals and added 3.7 rebounds a game.

Nadia Lomax, Columbus North: The senior averaged 9.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 steals a game.

Annie Anderson, Columbus North: The junior averaged 5.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals a game and was the Bull Dogs’ top defensive player.

Callie Wilder, Jennings County: The senior averaged 12.0 points and 2.8 rebounds and led the Panthers with 7.4 rebounds a game.

Addyson Kent, Jennings County: The sophomore led the Panthers with 12.8 points and 3.7 assists and added 3.7 rebounds a game.

Allison Stogsdill, Brown County: The junior led the Eagles with 19.0 points, 3.2 assists and 3.2 steals and added 4.2 rebounds a game.

Sydney Jaynes, Trinity Lutheran: The sophomore led the Cougars with 14.2 points, 3.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 3.9 blocks and added 7.5 rebounds a game.

Savannah Harweger, Trinity Lutheran: The senior averaged 13.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals.

Destiney Ramey, Edinburgh: The junior led the Lancers with 17.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.3 steals and added 2.3 assists a game.

Madison Owens, South Decatur: The senior led the Cougars with 10.5 points and 8.9 rebounds and added 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals a game.

Honorable mention

Brown County: Gracie Matlock. Columbus Christian: Kayla Jones, Grace Lorimor. Columbus East: Katie Dougherty, Whitley Rankin. Columbus North: Tessa Lomax, Sierra Norman. Edinburgh: Haven Link. Hauser: Shelby Fugate, Bree Hadley, Mel Hasler, Hannah Johnson. Jennings County: Lily Ernstes, Kylee Matern. South Decatur: Lana Bell. Trinity Lutheran: Hannah Sabotin.

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